


Plus One

by Hawtsee



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Subverted Tropes, repost, wedding shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 09:15:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16489823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawtsee/pseuds/Hawtsee
Summary: When Katniss needs a date to a wedding, she enlists Gale's help, but he has an ulterior motive for agreeing.





	1. Plus One

**Author's Note:**

> This is an oldie that I thought I'd bring over here, because why not.

Plus One.

There was a sliver of light appearing on the horizon when Gale pulled his truck in front of the Everdeen's house. Katniss was already waiting on the porch with all her gear and she waved excitedly. He waved back and hopped out to help load her stuff.

When he reached the porch, a very sleepy looking Prim stepped out. Her eyes were barely open and her long blonde hair was wild. "You guys are insane," she groused. "It's the middle of the night."

"It's five in the morning," Gale said.

"Exactly," Prim grumbled.

Gale laughed and heaved the tackle box off the porch. He loaded the truck as Katniss issued instructions to Prim and hugged her tightly. Gale rolled his eyes. Prim was almost twenty-one and still Katniss fussed over her like she was a child instead of an adult. If Gale didn't know better, he'd think Katniss was departing for an expedition to the Arctic instead of a day's fishing.

He had the truck packed and was sitting in the cab before Katniss tore herself away from her little sister and climbed in beside him. Even then, Prim came running out, waving an envelope. "This came in the mail for you yesterday; I totally forgot to give it to you."

Katniss hugged Prim one more time, before climbing back into the truck. Finally she turned to Gale and grinned. "Let's go!"

An hour later, Katniss and Gale turned off a small dirt track and reached their destination. They took a moment to take in the glorious dawn chasing away the inky-blue sky before unloading the truck and carrying all their gear towards the lake. This was their favorite spot in the world for fishing. There were other lakes, closer to home and far more accessible where they went sometimes, but those lakes were usually crowded with other fishermen, dog-walkers and swimmers. In all the years they'd been hauling themselves up to Silver Lake, they'd only seen a handful of other people.

It had been harder and harder to find the time since high school. Most of the time, when they were able to go fishing together, they chose the other lakes, closer to home because it was more convenient. Gale tried to remember how long it had been since they'd come to Silver Lake. A year?

"It's been a while, huh?" He said to Katniss.

She nodded and scrunched up her face. "It must be over a year. The last time we came here, we brought-." Her smile disappeared.

Peeta.

Gale winced. Yeah, that had not been a good day. Back then, he was still in love with Katniss and had been so pissed when she dragged her boyfriend along with them. He'd felt annoyed and hurt that Katniss couldn't spare just one day for him alone, and hadn't tried to hide his anger from her. He'd also taken far too much enjoyment from the fact that Peeta was an utterly incompetent fisherman. The day had been a disaster and they hadn't been fishing together since. Now here they were, Peeta was gone and it was just the two of them. A year ago, Gale would have been thrilled. Today, well today he planned to try and talk some sense into Katniss.

They worked in silence to set up camp and put some lines in the water before starting a small fire and boiling the kettle. Katniss made tea and he divided up the bread he'd bought straight from the baker's oven that morning. The sun was fully up when they lay back in the long grass and ate breakfast together.

Gale looked over at Katniss. She had her eyes closed and her face tilted up to the sky. A smile played across her lips. It had been a long time since he'd really seen her smile and another pang of guilt went through him.

It wasn't his fault that Katniss and Peeta had split up. That was all down to Katniss' legendary stubbornness. But Gale knew he'd played a part. Peeta had been jealous of the closeness between Gale and Katniss, had been entirely too aware of Gale's feelings for his best friend. If Gale had been a bigger person, he would have backed off and given them some space. But he was an asshole who'd wanted Katniss for himself. It had created tension between Katniss and Peeta. It wasn't the reason they broke up, but it had definitely contributed to the arguments that had ultimately ended the relationship.

Ironically, by that time, Gale was more or less over Katniss; and when she'd finally told him the full story of the break-up, Gale had found himself siding with Peeta and urged her to just get over herself and apologize. That had led to an argument between him and Katniss. But they were used to arguing and had made up the following week. Gale hadn't broached the subject of Peeta since.

He'd expected that the other guy would come crawling for Katniss, but Peeta hadn't. Gale suspected that Katniss had thought that same thing. In the past, Peeta was usually the one who'd made the first move whenever they had an argument, no matter whose fault it was. But this time, Peeta had refused to back down. Katniss was totally in the wrong, and he wasn't giving in until she apologized. Gale respected him for that. Gale had thought Katniss would give in and admit her fault too. But his best friend was just too fucking stubborn. He'd let her stew in her own misery for months, expecting that eventually she'd just apologize to Peeta. But that didn't look any more likely now than it did four months ago. So today, he was going to wait until she was happy and relaxed and then he was going to try and talk to her about Peeta.

He shook his head, still not used to the idea that he was Team Peeta.

Katniss sat up again, remembering the envelope Prim had shoved at her that morning and dug it out of her bag. Gale watched her expression change from surprise to hurt.

When she looked up and caught him watching, she raised the card she was holding for him to see. "It's an invite to Annie and Finnick's wedding. I didn't think they'd invite me."

Annie and Finnick were Peeta's friends. Katniss had become close to them while they were dating but had little contact with them since breaking up with Peeta.

"Are you going to go?" he asked.

Katniss ducked her head. "No, they were just being polite. I'll make up some excuse." Her voice sounded normal, but Gale had known her long enough to know she was on the verge of tears.

He glanced down at the invitation. 'Katniss and Guest."

Gale knew she'd expected to go to the wedding with Peeta. Maybe she'd figured that the upcoming wedding would be the push Peeta needed to make the move towards reconciliation. But Peeta's closest friends giving her a plus one showed her that they knew Peeta had no such plans. Was she finally beginning to see that Peeta was lost to her unless she tried to win him back?

It wasn't the way Gale had wanted to start the conversation, but now that it was out there, he decided to just dive in. "Catnip, you should call Peeta."

Katniss' head shot up in surprise. He hadn't called her Catnip in a long time.

"Call him," Gale urged again. "Tell him you're sorry. Ask him to go to the wedding with you. This is your last chance to make things right with him. If you don't do it now, that window will close forever and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Katniss averted her eyes to the gleaming water of the lake. Gale stood up and checked their lines, leaving her to think on what he'd said.

It was almost a half an hour before Katniss stood up and dusted off her behind. "I'm going to make a call," she said.

He nodded and watched her walk along the shore for some privacy. He lost sight of her when she disappeared behind a tree and he turned back to the fishing. He felt like a burden had been lifted. He had done the right thing, convinced Katniss to talk to Peeta and now he could stop feeling guilty.

That feeling lasted about five minutes and then he heard Katniss stomping back to him. His heart sank.

Katniss flopped onto the ground beside him and glared furiously at the lake. He waited.

"He's taking Madge Undersee to the wedding," Katniss said.

Gale snorted. "Madge? Who's that?" He was picturing a fifty-year old librarian. He didn't think that was Peeta's type.

"She's a friend of his."

"OK. That's not a big deal. They're just friends. We do lots of things together, that doesn't mean anything," Gale pointed out. Though that wasn't entirely true; for two whole years he'd been convinced that Katniss was the only woman he'd ever love.

Katniss kicked at a clump of grass at her feet. "You don't understand. Madge is gorgeous. Like, model gorgeous. Plus, she's really sweet and kind and polite, and..."

In other words, the complete antithesis of Katniss.

"His mom must be thrilled, she really wanted him to date her," Katniss continued. She sounded close to tears again.

Gale didn't know what to say.

"Anyway," Katniss said, suddenly turning her piercing gaze on him. "I told him I was bringing you."

"What?"

Katniss glared at him. "I told him we were dating and that I'm bringing you to the wedding as my date." He knew that tone, there was no arguing with her.

 

* * *

 

 

Once they'd checked into the hotel, Katniss immediately kicked Gale out of the room so she could start getting ready for the wedding. He was happy to get out of her way. Ever since she'd decided to come to the wedding and bring him as her date, she'd had some sort of tunnel vision. The wedding was all she could think about. She's dragged Prim around countless shops to find the perfect dress, had spent hours practicing how to do her hair and makeup, and even longer training herself to walk in high heels.

Gale had known Katniss all her life and he could count on one hand the number of times she'd ever dressed up, and even in those cases it was usually at the behest of her mother and Prim. That she was voluntarily wearing make-up was unheard of.

Worst of all, she'd even dragged him shopping for a suit to wear and forced him to get his hair cut so he'd look good for the wedding. All the while, she'd talked and talked about 'The Plan'.

'The Plan' was simple enough; they show up at the wedding looking super hot (check), act like a couple to convince Peeta that she was totally over him, and then leave early. At least, that was Katniss' plan.

Gale's plan was a little different. He fully intended to lock Katniss and Peeta in a room and keep them there until they worked out their stupid issues and got back together. The exact logistics of his plan would be played by ear. In the meantime, he decided that a drink was in order.

Unfortunately for him, the bar wasn't open yet so he had to forgo the alcohol for a while. Instead, he walked out onto the veranda surrounding the hotel. The hotel was facing the seafront, in a small, quiet bay. It must have cost a packet to rent out for the occasion.

The bay was sheltered, so the sea was calm and reminded him of Silver Lake back home. A short walk from the hotel, a small pier jutted out onto the water and two men were fishing from the end of it. Gale had never been sea-fishing before and was interested in it, so he walked down to join them.

The two old men were happy to answer his questions, and even gave him a rod to use so he passed a pleasant hour with them. As the time for the wedding drew closer, Gale gave the rod back reluctantly so he could shower and get ready. He would have loved to stay out fishing with them. Or take a dip in the sea. The day was getting very warm, and the water looked so inviting. He thanked the two men for their time, but they weren't listening to him. They were focused on a woman walking along the surf.

One of the men made a crude joke about catching her on the end of the line, but Gale barely heard it. The woman was beautiful. She looked like a sea-nymph coming out of the waves. He stared at her, forgetting all about Katniss and Peeta, and the wedding, and the stupid plan.

He had to shake himself out of his stupor and stop staring. By sheer chance, and it really was chance because he was too dumbstruck to plan it, he reached the end of the pier just as she was passing. Close up she was even more beautiful. He managed to smile and nod at her.

She smiled and nodded back, then frowned when she caught sight of the hotel staff putting the finishing touches to the gazebo on the beach where the wedding would take place. "Excuse me, have you the time?"

"It's almost one," Gale said, holding up his wrist she could see the time.

"Shit, I didn't realize it was so late," she said. They fell into step beside each other. "I could just walk on this beach forever. It's so beautiful."

Gale bit his tongue to stop the cheesy line from spilling out. Any other girl and he'd be laying it on thick already, but there was no way he was going to blow his chance with her by saying something really stupid. "It is."

"Are you a local?" she asked.

"No, I'm here for the wedding," he told her, gesturing towards the set up on the beach.

"Oh, me too," she smiled.

OK, new plan. Lock Katniss in a room with Peeta, then go back to the wedding, find this woman and convince her to run away with him.

He wished he could get his brain to work so he could say something, anything, interesting to her before they parted ways. "I'd love to go for a swim," he said. It was the first thing that popped into his head. "I should have gone earlier."

She sighed. "I never even thought to bring my swim suit. I wish I had."

"That's a shame," he said, cursing himself for his own lameness. Normally he had no trouble talking to women. What was going on with him?

They paused at the steps of the hotel to admire the view again before going inside. She bent to pick up a seashell, and Gale admired that view too.

Inside, they shared smiles as they waited for the elevator together and both laughed when they reached to press the button for the second floor at the same time. When they got out of the elevator and turned down the same corridor, they laughed again.

"Look like we're neighbors," Gale said when she stopped outside room fourteen. He pointed to the room next door. "If you need anything, just knock."

It was a stupid line, but she blushed and smiled before letting herself into the room.

In his own room, Gale found Katniss holding a weird looking implement to her eye. He shook his head and went for a shower.

All of Katniss' efforts paid off spectacularly. She was almost unrecognizable from his old fishing partner.

"Wow, Catnip, you look amazing," Gale told her.

"Really?" She asked doubtfully, twisting in front of the mirror in an attempt to see how she looked from all sides.

"Really! There's a very strong chance I'm going to fall in love with you all over again," he said.

Katniss stopped twisting and frowned at him.

"I'm kidding," Gale said. "But seriously, you look beautiful. Peeta Mellark is going to trip over his own tongue."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks. You look really good too."

He gave himself a cursory glance in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. "I do," he agreed. He held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"

Katniss smiled and slipped her arm through his. "Lets."

They stepped into the hallway just as the blonde from earlier emerged from her room. She smiled at him, but it slipped when she saw Katniss. For a moment, Gale deluded himself into believing she was disappointed he was with somebody. Until she spoke. "Hi, Katniss."

"Hi, Madge."

Shit.

And right behind Madge was Peeta Mellark. He froze when he saw them, but recovered quickly. "Hello, Katniss. Gale."

"Hi Peeta," Gale said in a tone he hoped conveyed nothing but friendliness.

"Madge, you know Katniss of course, and this is her boyfriend, Gale," Peeta's tone was very neutral as he made introductions. "Gale, this is Madge."

"Nice to see you again," Madge said politely, but the warmth from earlier was gone. Gale figured that Peeta had told her all about him and she thought he was pond scum.

Great.

The shared ride in the elevator was the most awkward thirty seconds of time. Nobody spoke, or even looked at each other. As soon as the doors opened, Katniss bolted, with Gale in her wake.

"I can't do this, Gale," Katniss said. "I can't be here with them, together."

Gale peered through the leaves of the large pot plant they were hiding behind. Peeta was standing on the veranda, with Madge stroking his arm sympathetically. It looked friendly, not romantic.

"I don't think they're together. I think they're just friends," he told Katniss. He stroked her arm, the same why Madge had done with Peeta. "If you really want to leave, we can. If you want to stay, I'm right here with you."

Katniss considered her options before finally nodding. "I want to stay."

"We just have to get through the ceremony and then we can have alcohol," Gale told her.

Katniss laughed and slipped her arms through his again. "Thanks Gale."

He squeezed her hand and led her outside, ignoring the pair on the veranda, and down onto the sand. Katniss opted for seats on the bride's side and near the back. As the seats filled up, she pointed out a few people she knew. She fell silent as Peeta and Madge were led to seats on the groom's side, close to the front. They paused to speak to some of the other guests and Gale had the chance to get a look at Madge. He knew she'd spent exactly as long as he had getting ready, yet she looked like she'd stepped off the pages of one of those horrendous glossy magazines Katniss had been studying for the last few weeks. He really liked the way her slinky blue dress clung to her body.

"See what I mean about her," Katniss whispered. "She looks like a model."

"She's OK," Gale lied.

Katniss scoffed. "In that case, stop drooling."

He tore his gaze from Madge and smiled down at Katniss. "Fine, she's gorgeous. But so are you. And looks have nothing to do with it. Peeta is in love with you."

"No he's not, he barely looked at me," Katniss said in a small voice.

"He's hurt, Catnip. He called me your boyfriend and you didn't correct him. He thinks you've moved on already. He's probably thinking that you had feelings for me the whole time you were dating him and wondering if you ever loved him at all. You need to be honest with him."

Katniss blinked back tears and nodded. Gale squeezed her hand again.

All throughout the ceremony, Gale found his gaze wandering back to Madge. No matter how many times he tried to pay attention to what was going on, his eyes drifted to the blonde. She seemed enraptured with the whole thing, smiling and wiping away tears.

Occasionally she leaned in to whisper in Peeta's ear. More and more Gale was convinced that they were just friends. Their interactions were just platonic. Madge would nudge Peeta, but she never held his hand, or kissed him; she didn't shoot him hopeful looks when the minister spoke about how Annie and Finnick's love would inspire others.

He knew Katniss was watching them too, and hoped she was picking up on the same signs that he did.

Finally the ceremony ended and they were free to go to the bar. They bypassed the waiters standing on the veranda with silver trays loaded with flutes of bubbly champagne and made for the bar, and whiskey.

Gale raised an eyebrow at how quickly Katniss downed her drink and decided that maybe introducing alcohol into proceedings at this early stage was a mistake. Katniss tended to go two ways when she was drunk; pukey and sleepy or really, really mean. Neither of which were conducive to a romantic reconciliation.

So he put their empty glasses back on the bar and caught her elbow gently. "Let's walk around a little."

Katniss clearly wanted to protest, but he didn't give her a chance. Instead he pulled her back out to the lobby where the wedding guests were starting to mingle. He groaned silently to himself. He hated weddings at the best of times, but he really hated weddings when he didn't know anybody there. Katniss was no help; she was taciturn by nature and avoided small talk whenever possible. The fact that she hardly knew any of the guests either, and was in a bad mood was not going to help. They had another hour before dinner and he had to think of something to fill it that didn't involved getting drunk.

"Hey, let's go for a walk on the beach," he suggested to Katniss. "It's really lovely out there and you haven't seen it yet."

She nodded agreeably. "I just want to say hello to Annie and Finnick first."

They lined up to congratulate the happy couple, both of whom were delighted to see Katniss and coldly polite towards him. They couldn't have been more obviously 'Team Peeta' if they'd been wearing t-shirts. He was glad to get out of the room and into the fresh air.

On the veranda Katniss slipped her arm through his and pressed against him. He looked down at her in surprise until he heard Peeta's heavy footstep behind him.

When he turned he found Madge pressed against Peeta and smiling up at him as if he was made from pure Belgian chocolate. He knew that Madge was only doing it to stick it to Katniss, but that didn't mean he wasn't jealous of Peeta for the second time in his life.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence while everybody shifted around awkwardly.

"Great wedding," Gale said at last, just to end the standoff.

"Yes, very," Peeta mumbled.

"I hope my wedding is as beautiful," Madge purred, smiling at Peeta again.

Beside him, Gale felt Katniss go rigid. "Well, you'll have to excuse us, we're going to take a walk on the beach," he said. He needed to get her out of there before she slapped Madge.

"Oh, good idea," Madge said silkily. "I had one earlier and it really tired me out. Maybe we should take a nap before dinner, honey." She shot Katniss a triumphant look then.

"We should congratulate the bride and groom first," Peeta suggested.

"Come on, baby," Katniss pulled on Gale's arm.

He let her steer him away from Peeta and Madge, and down onto the sand. They walked for ten minutes until they were far from the hotel before Katniss let go of his arm.

"They're just friends," he blurted out before Katniss could say something. "I watched them all through the ceremony and there's nothing going on between them. That thing on the veranda was just for show. Madge was trying to make you jealous for Peeta's sake. And clearly it's working."

"I'm not jealous," Katniss snapped.

Gale laughed at that. "Katniss, I've never seen anybody more jealous than you are right now, and I know a hell of a lot about jealousy."

She shook her head in denial. "Let's just go. If we leave now, we can be home before dark."

Gale sighed. "And let them win?"

Katniss faced the sea with a stony expression.

He gave her a few minutes to gather herself together. "We should at least get dinner out of this, since we came all this way and everything."

"You're right," Katniss agreed. She sighed sadly and looked around. "Peeta and I went to the beach together once. It was the first time we…" she blushed and trailed off.

Gale grimaced. There were some things he just did not want to know. "Right. Do you want to head back?"

Katniss nodded.

When they got back to the hotel, Katniss went upstairs to fix her windswept hair. Gale went to check on the seating plan, silently praying they wouldn't be at the same table as Peeta and Madge. Thankfully, his luck was in, for once. They were on opposite sides of the room. At least they'd be able to eat their dinner without the suffocating blanket of discomfort around them.

He turned to leave and bumped straight into Madge. His hands instinctively shot out to catch her before she fell and he couldn't help lingering a little before he let her go. His skin burned where they touched her.

Damn it. He didn't usually crush this hard so soon.

"How was your walk?" She asked with utmost civility.

"Pleasant," he ran his eyes over her perfectly coiffed hair and pale skin pointedly. "I'd ask how your nap was, but I can see you haven't had it yet. But there's still ten minutes before dinner. I've heard Peeta is quick." He stepped around her before she could make any reply, but from the scowl on her pretty face, he knew she wasn't happy with him.

He silently cursed himself for his own stupidity. Why had he said that? Why couldn't he just be the bigger man and let go of whatever lingering animosity he had for Peeta? It struck him that he'd wasted a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. He could have told Madge the truth, made her an ally in his quest to get Katniss and Peeta back together, while getting to know her at the same time. He turned back to talk to her, but she was deep in conversation with an older couple.

Then Katniss joined him and the chance was gone.

Dinner was, thankfully, a delicious six course affair. Unfortunately it was accompanied by long speeches, heavy on the inside jokes and for some reason, poetry. Not even the funny kind of poetry, but the heartfelt, sincere kind. It almost put him off his food.

Thanks to the enormous floral centerpieces, he couldn't see Peeta or Madge during the meal. More importantly, Katniss couldn't either. She seemed to enjoy the speeches; she laughed at all the jokes that made Gale scratch his head anyway. She rolled her eyes and grinned at him through the poetry. By the time the meal, and the speeches, ended, she was in much better humor.

Never underestimate the power of good food on Katniss Everdeen, Gale reminded himself.

She didn't mention anything about leaving, so Gale decided that now was the time. He would somehow maneuver Katniss and Peeta together and end this dumb charade so he could go hit on Madge. Most of the wedding crowd went out onto the veranda to get some air after the meal while the band set up so Gale pulled Katniss out too, hoping to 'bump into' Peeta and Madge again. But his quarry wasn't playing ball. They were nowhere in sight until the dancing began.

As Annie and Finnick finished their first dance as a married couple, Gale finally caught sight of Peeta and Madge on the far side of the room. Madge tugged Peeta out onto the dance-floor so Gale grasped Katniss' hand and tugged her too. The band was great, and Katniss liked to dance so she went willingly. They were both good dancers, but with their height difference it was a little awkward, and it kind of felt like he was dancing with his baby sister, before her growth spurt.

He pulled Katniss into his arms and tried to subtly steer her through the crowd, closer to Peeta and Madge. If Gale had any doubts about the status of their relationship, watching them dance together cleared them up. Peeta's hands rested firmly on Madge's sides. He didn't try to touch her bare back, or slide them down to cup her ass. There were several inches of daylight between their bodies. Peeta looked uncomfortable and rigid, even more than he normally did on the dance-floor.

As they turned awkwardly, Madge caught Gale watching them. She looked away quickly and said something into Peeta's ear. Peeta pulled her a little closer and slipped his arms around her waist. It didn't look a lot more convincing. Gale smirked.

With a couple of deft pivots, he finally came parallel to Peeta and Madge. Katniss' eyes widened, and she squeezed on his arm. He knew she was trying to tell him to get her out of there, but he ignored her.

Instead he grinned at Peeta. "Hey, let's switch." Everybody was so shocked at his proposal, he simply let go of Katniss and pulled Madge close and whisked her away before anybody could object.

Madge was too stunned to talk, so he simply spun her around the floor. She was much closer to his height than Katniss, so dancing with her felt natural and easy. "We're a good match," he could help comment.

"What?" Madge frowned at him. "Why did you do that?"

"I thought you and I should get to know each other a little better," Gale told her. His hand dropped lower on her back. This definitely felt right. He leaned in a little and breathed her in. God, she smelled good.

"Why?" Madge snapped.

He pulled back a little and smiled at her. "I think we could be friends." He shot a glance over his shoulder to see what Peeta and Katniss were doing and was pleased to find them talking to each other. "Katniss and I aren't-"

Madge gasped and wrenched herself out of his grasp. "Wow. You are unbelievable. Peeta told me what a dick you were and I actually thought he was exaggerating but he really wasn't. You're a dick. Your girlfriend is right over there, and you're hitting on me. I actually feel sorry for Katniss now."

He opened his mouth to explain, but she whirled away from him and was gone.

That went well, he thought. At least the main objective of his plan was working, he told himself. He turned back to Katniss and Peeta, just in time to see Katniss flounce off. He knew immediately that it had gone terribly wrong.

The whole night was a disaster.

Gale pushed his way through the crowd to go after Katniss. He was stopped by a hand on his arm. "Peeta."

"You two deserve each other," Peeta said.

"Peeta," Gale tried, but like Madge before him, he was gone without giving Gale a chance to explain.

Gale sighed and went in pursuit of Katniss. He found her face down on the bed in their room, her sobs muffled in the heavy comforter.

"Catnip, I'm sorry." He said down beside her and winced as the bed creaked loudly beneath them. "What happened?"

"I'm a colossal bitch and he finally sees me for who I really am," she wept.

Fury ripped through Gale. "Did he call you that?"

"No. He didn't say anything like that, but he hates me, Gale." Katniss sat up and turned her tear filled eyes on him. "He hates me and I've lost him forever."

Gale wished he could tell her she was wrong, but maybe it really was too late. Maybe bringing Gale to the wedding was the last nail in the coffin of Katniss and Peeta's relationship. He cursed his own stupidity again. How could he have fucked up so badly by trying to make things right?

There was nothing he could say to comfort Katniss; he couldn't even offer to take her home because he'd been drinking. So he simply pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried.

When she was all cried out, she lay quietly in his arms, lost in thought. Until she suddenly sprang up, alert and ready to pounce.

"What's going on?" Gale asked.

She shushed him urgently. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Gale listened and then he heard a noise; the creak of a bed and a manly groan. It came from the room next to them. Peeta's room.

Katniss looked horrified and distraught.

There was a moment of silence and then the sound of the bed again.

Gale jumped off the bed. He was not going to let Katniss stay here and listen to Peeta have angry-comfort sex in the next room. "Let's go down to the bar and get hammered."

"No." Katniss shook her head fiercely, staring at the wall as if she could see through it. She had a look in her eyes that he recognized from all the times they went hunting together. Usually he enjoyed seeing it because it meant that Katniss had been struck by inspiration and he was about to see something incredible. Right now, it worried him.

She pushed herself onto her knees, caught the headboard and began to bounce so that the bed moved and creaked beneath her.

Gale stared at her as if she'd lost her mind.

Then Katniss moaned, loud and lusty.

His mouth fell open. "What the fuck, Katniss?"

She gestured for him to join him. "Oh, God, Gaaaaallllllllllllleeeee," she moaned.

Jesus Christ, this wasn't happening.

But it was, Katniss kept moaning and rocking the bed, calling his name. She reached out and pulled him onto the bed beside her. "Please, Gale," she whispered.

Gale wanted to refuse, but then the sounds from next door became louder and he knew that if this was the course Katniss was determined on, he had to go with her. So reluctantly he joined her on the bed, and added his moans to hers. He caught the headboard and rocked it so that it hit against the wall. He called her name and swore and yelled – anything to drown out the sounds coming from the other side of the wall.

It lasted forever. Every time he thought that surely Peeta must be finished by now, the noises would just grow louder.

Katniss was bouncing and moaning with manic zeal beside him. Gale knew this was a terrible idea. This must be killing his friend. The expression on her face was one of despair. She shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't let her torture herself like this. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he stepped off the bed.

"Gale, please," Katniss called, beckoning him back to the bed.

He shook his head.

With one last moan, Katniss slumped in defeat and climbed off the bed too. The noises from next door subsided a minute later.

"Katniss," he tried to reach for her but she shook her head and stepped away from him.

"I'm going to wash up," she said in a small, broken voice. She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door.

Gale rubbed his face with his hands. He had really and truly fucked up and had no idea how to fix this. He grabbed a beer from the mini-fridge and stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air.

He heard a gasp to his left and whirled around to find Madge sitting on a deck chair on her own balcony.

He frowned. She was still dressed in her blue dress, still unwrinkled. Her hair was as tidy as ever. She was staring at him, her lips in a perfect 'O' shape.

Gale stepped closer to the wall dividing the two balconies and leaned over so he could see in through her window.

Peeta lay on top of their un-messed bed. His hands covered his face. He was also fully dressed. There was no way they'd just fucked on that bed for forty minutes.

Ha! He knew Peeta couldn't go that long.

Madge stood up and peered into his bedroom. She laughed. "We were faking it because we thought you two were doing it."

"We heard you two going at it, so we faked it," Gale told her. He chuckled and shook his head. Finally, a chance to put things right. He spoke before she had a chance. "Katniss and I aren't together. That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. I knew you and Peeta weren't a couple and I thought we could work together to get the two of them to admit they're still in love."

Madge bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry for saying what I said. Peeta never said you were a dick, I just inferred it, and I was wrong."

He waved off her apology. "It's OK. I can be a dick sometimes."

She smiled at him then and Gale's stomach twisted. "What do we do now?" She asked.

Gale leaned over the edge of the balcony to the sand below. It wasn't that far. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested.

"I meant, what should we do about them," Madge said, gesturing back to where Peeta lay prone on the bed.

"I know," Gale assured her. "Trust me." He held out his hand to her to help her climb over the dividing wall.

She considered his hand for a moment before taking it. It was tricky for her to climb in her tight dress, so Gale had to lift her. Once again he let his hands linger. Madge just smiled at him.

"Wait here," he told her. He let himself back into the room and knocked gently on the bathroom door. He could hear sniffling coming from inside. "Catnip, can you come out on the balcony, please. I have something for you. It's important."

There was a pause and then Katniss' tear-filled voice. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Great." He hurried back outside to where Madge was waiting. "We have to climb down," he told her.

It was easy for him to climb over the edge, grab the trellis and climb down until he was close enough to the ground. It was trickier for Madge. She had to pull her dress up high on her thighs to be able to swing her legs over. When she was close enough, he put his hands on her hips and helped her down. He smiled when she deliberately pressed against him as he lowered her to the grass.

"Now what?" she whispered.

Gale grabbed a handful of pebbles and shells and pulled Madge to hide behind the bushes. Then he began to throw them at the window of her and Peeta's room. As the third pebble made contact, Peeta lifted his head. On the fourth, he pushed himself off the bed.

"Katniss is coming," Madge hissed.

Gale selected the largest pebble and tossed it against the window. It hit it with an audible thunk. Peeta opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, just as Katniss emerged on to hers.

She called Gale's name as the same time Peeta said Madge's. They stared at each other in confusion.

Madge nudged Gale, and gestured for him to follow her. They crept quietly, ducking down so they wouldn't be seen. They made their way through the clump of bushes and came out a path leading from the hotel to the beach.

"Do you want to go back to the party?" Gale asked, hoping she'd say no.

Madge shook her head. "Not really. I think I'll go down to the beach. What about you?"

"I'll come with you," he said, eliciting a smile from her.

They walked the path down to the sand. They kicked off their shoes and placed them behind a pillar to collect them later.

"Come on." Gale grabbed Madge's hand and pulled her back along the fence until they were standing in front of their bedrooms. They could see Katniss and Peeta standing on their balconies. Katniss had her arms wrapped around her middle protectively, but they were about a foot apart, only the dividing wall between them. As they watched, Katniss reached out and touched Peeta's arm for a moment. Gale smiled and turned to face the water to give them their privacy.

They walked down to the water and let their feet get wet in the surf. They strolled in silence along the water's edge, away from the noise and lights of the hotel to where the beach was lit only by the light of the full moon. They weren't touching, but their hands frequently brushed against each other. Every time it did, it sent a thrill coursing through Gale's veins.

"Why did you do that?" Madge asked after they'd walked for a while.

"So they'd talk," he answered simply.

"But, aren't you in love with her?" Madge paused and looked up at him. "That's what Peeta told me. That's why he didn't like you."

Gale shrugged. "I was in love with her for a long time. I was really jealous of Peeta at first, and I know I was a dick to him. But then..." he shrugged again. He had no idea how to explain his feelings for Katniss. He didn't think she'd believe him if he said he'd simply gotten over her. "I still love her, she'll always be my Catnip. But I don't love her the other way anymore."

Madge processed that and nodded. She seemed satisfied with his explanation, pleased even. "I owe you an apology."

"You already apologized."

She smiled. "For calling you a dick to your face. I've said some pretty horrible things about you behind your back that I really feel bad about now."

Gale laughed. "You don't have to apologize. I understand why you didn't like me. Peeta's your friend."

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "You know, Peeta was always so intimidated by you and I could never understand why, but now I get it."

His face heated up at her words, to his utter bewilderment. Since when did girls make him blush?

Madge giggled at his discomfort. "I've just had a thought. If Katniss and Peeta get back together tonight, we'll probably have to share a room." She bit her lower lip and raised an eyebrow.

"Damn, I wish I'd thought this plan through," Gale said, trying not to grin too smugly. He wondered if he could get away with throwing her over his shoulder and hauling her back to the hotel right then. Probably not.

In any case, Madge had other ideas. "I think I'll go for that swim now," she told him.

Gale watched, stupefied as she unzipped her dress and stepped out of it. She turned and raced towards the ocean, peeling off her bra as she did. She gave a squeal as she hit the water. It brought him back to his sense, and he quickly tore of his own clothes and followed her in.


	2. Two Birds

Two Birds

The sun was well up in the sky when Gale awoke the next morning, with Madge draped across his chest. He ran his finger lazily down her spine and watched with a smile as she lightly arched her back to his touch before her eyes fluttered open. She smiled sleepily at him and lifted her head for a kiss.

The kiss became heated very quickly and they shifted their positions so that Madge was straddling him, grinding herself against his morning erection. Miraculously, a sliver of sense entered his brain despite the mounting lust. "Madge, we have no more condoms."

Madge groaned and rolled off him, flopping dramatically onto the mattress beside him. "This is becoming a problem."

He laughed. Last night, after skinny dipping in the ocean, they'd gotten very frisky on the sand until they'd realized they had no protection with them. So they'd hastily dressed and returned to the hotel. As neither of them had a room key, they'd had to climb back up onto the balcony. There they'd found that their plan had worked as Katniss and Peeta were curled up on her bed together, fast asleep. And still dressed, Gale had noted with a shake of the head. He didn't want to disturb the sleeping couple by entering the room to retrieve the condom from his wallet, so instead, they'd climbed over the balcony wall into Peeta and Madge's room and Gale had gone downstairs to buy a condom from the machine in the men's restroom. He'd been optimistic and bought two. He should have been more optimistic.

They lay silently side by side for a moment until the sounds of their rumbling stomachs made them laugh. With a groan, Gale hauled himself out of bed and pulled on his clothes. "Let's go get some breakfast."

Madge pushed herself onto her knees and crawled across the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Peeta and I are staying for another night. What are you guys doing?"

He and Katniss had planned to leave right after breakfast, but that was probably no longer the case for Katniss anyway. Gale definitely wanted to stay, he wanted more time with Madge. "I guess I'll have to see what Catnip's doing."

"Finnick told us you were only staying one night, so I've booked a room for myself tonight," Madge told him. "If you need a place to stay..." she trailed off and placed a series of small kisses along his jaw.

Gale grinned at her, and forced himself to pull away before things got heated again. "I'm going to go wake the sleeping beauties and have a shower. See you in twenty minutes?"

He stayed long enough to watch Madge's naked butt disappear into the bathroom before going back out onto the balcony and climbing over onto his own.

Through the window he could see that Katniss and Peeta were awake and making out hungrily on the bed. For a moment he thought about going back to Madge's room and climbing in the shower with her, until he remembered that he still had no condoms.

He knocked loudly on the glass and laughed as the couple sprang apart. They both shot angry glares at him. But since he might as well have slept on the beach last night for all they knew, or cared, he didn't feel too upset about interrupting them.

"I'm just going to have a shower, carry on," he told them with a grin. He grabbed a change of clothes from his suitcase and went into the bathroom.

Showering took longer than expected because thanks to all the rolling around on the beach with Madge the night before there was sand everywhere. Everywhere.

When he emerged from the bathroom Katniss was alone. She was sitting on the bed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "Where did you go last night?"

"Madge let me crash with her. Did you and Peeta work everything out?"

Katniss nodded. "We did. We had a long talk and we've decided to try again. We're going to take it slowly and see how it goes."

Gale smirked at her and raised an eyebrow. They hadn't been going slowly when he'd walked in on them. Katniss blushed.

"I'm glad it all worked out for you, Katniss," he told her sincerely.

She gave him a sad smile. "Gale..."

He knew what she was going to say. She was going to say that if things between her and Peeta were going to work this time, that things between her and Gale would have to change. That things couldn't be like they were before. That she loved him and he'd always be her best friend, but Peeta was her future and she had to put her relationship with him first.

Gale crossed the room and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I know, Catnip."

When he stood again, they stared at each other for a moment. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes. Her friendship had meant so much to him, and she would always have a special place in his heart, but things had to change now and he felt that loss keenly.

"Come on, Let's go get some breakfast," he suggested.

He pulled on his shoes and towel dried his hair as Katniss washed her face. When they stepped out of the room, Peeta and Madge were emerging from theirs at the same time. They all laughed. Katniss slipped her hands into Peeta's and led them down the corridor. In the elevator, Peeta and Katniss beamed at each other; completely oblivious to the fact that Gale had his hand on Madge's ass, and that she was enjoying it.

The dining room was crowded and the only seating option left was a table for four. It was a little awkward at first, but before long they were all laughing at the escapades of the night before. After that conversation flowed easily. Gale relished the chance to get to know Madge a little better. When they learned that they lived close to each other they exchanged smiles and Gale hoped that meant that things between them could continue after the weekend was over.

Towards the end of their meal, Katniss informed Gale that she'd be staying another night and Peeta immediately assured Gale he'd make sure she got home so he wouldn't have to hang around if he didn't want to.

Gale was torn. He really wanted to assure Katniss, and to a lesser extent Peeta, that he wasn't going to be a problem in their relationship anymore and he was worried that if he told them that he was staying around, Peeta would get the wrong impression. Thankfully, he was saved by a surprising source. The newlyweds had come to the table to say hello, and after Peeta gave them the condensed version of his reunion with Katniss, Annie had very politely expressed a hope that Gale would stay longer too and enjoy the rest of the wedding festivities. He couldn't very well say no the bride, could he?

When brunch was over, Gale and Madge went to reception to see about their rooms. By an unspoken agreement, they had said nothing to their friends about the hook-up the night before, or their plans to spend another night together.

Only instead of going to the reception, they ended up in the disabled restroom, humping against the door. Gale had his fingers hooked in Madge's panties when she panted in his ear. "Condom?" He swore and pulled away. He looked around the small room for a vending machine.

"Do disabled people not have spontaneous sex?" he asked when he realized there was none. He patted his pockets before remembering that he'd left is wallet in his room. "Stay here, I'll be right back." He slipped out of the toilet and into the men's room next door to discover to his dismay that the condom machine was empty. Apparently he and Madge weren't the only ones to hook up last night.

So he had to go back to Madge empty handed.

"This is ridiculous," she groaned. "OK. New plan. We'll go into town, I need to buy a bikini and you stock up on condoms."

Gale hurried upstairs to grab his keys and wallet, while Madge went to reception to see about the room. "Make sure that it's far away from Peeta and Katniss," Gale whispered in her ear before he left her.

He found Katniss packing up their stuff. "Did you get a room?" she asked.

"It's not ready yet," he told her. She offered to leave his stuff in Peeta's room until his own room was ready. He agreed and followed her into the room next door with his suitcase. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bed where he and Madge had become so intimately acquainted the night before and he smirked to himself. Peeta and Katniss were so wrapped up in their bubble of oblivion, they hadn't worked it out.

Gale told them about driving into town, hoping to make it clear that he was leaving them alone and wouldn't be doing any further cock-blocking that weekend. But to his surprise, Katniss asked if they could come too. She hadn't packed a swimsuit either and needed to pick one up.

Katniss needed to use the bathroom before they left so the two guys waited for her, eying each other awkwardly. Gale wanted to say something to alleviate the tension and reassure Peeta that he was happy for their relationship. He was also aware that he probably should apologize for being an ass during their first go around.

"You're going to need to buy condoms," he blurted out.

Peeta blinked at him.

"I mean, the hotel gift-shop doesn't sell them and the machine in the men's room is out, so if you didn't bring any with you, you'll need to buy some while we're in town."

Again Peeta blinked, then he laughed a little. "Uh, thanks."

Gale nodded. It wasn't the world's best apology, but it had been effective.

They went downstairs to find Madge and then piled into Gale's car. In town, Madge and Katniss went swimsuit shopping together; Gale and Peeta went their separate ways to buy condoms.

When they met up again, Madge opened her bag to show him what frankly looked like a collection of colorful string. "I would have sent you a picture, but I don't have your number," she told him.

Gale handed her his phone and took hers from her and keyed in his number. "Can I call you and take you out sometime?"

She smiled at him. "You'd better."

Back at the hotel, they were accosted by Annie in the parking lot who insisted they join everybody on the beach for a game of football. Gale grabbed his belongings from Peeta's room and brought them to Madge's. Luckily, though they were still on the same floor, they were further down the corridor, and out of screaming distance. They could have stayed in the room; Gale doubted they'd really be missed on the beach; but with a room secured for the night, and the promise of a date in the future, the immediate urgency was gone.

The urgency came back the moment he saw Madge in her new bikini, but she simply laughed at him and dragged him downstairs. They lined up on opposing sides in the football game which gave Gale plenty of opportunity to manhandle Madge. After the football game, they took to the water to play volleyball and splash around. Under the cover of the water, Madge slipped her hands into his shorts to feel him up.

Afterwards they stretched out on the sand and chatted to each other and the other guests while hotel staff grilled dinner. As dusk settled lanterns were lit and a band began to play on the deck.

They spent the day flirting, and discretely touching whenever they could. There was no real reason to hide their flirtation except that it made things hotter.

As it got darker, they got bolder – letting their hands wander and openly kissing as they danced on the sand. Finally when they couldn't take it any longer, they went inside. The moment the elevator doors closed they were pawing each other and had to tear themselves apart when they reached their floor. They hurried down the corridor, until a noise emanating from room fourteen attracted their attention. Gale hadn't even noticed that Katniss and Peeta had left the party.

"Slow my ass," he laughed.

Madge giggled before knocking loudly on the door and putting on an old lady voice. "Keep it down in there, people are trying to read their bible," she said. Then she grabbed Gale's hand and they ran to their own room, laughing like two school children who'd just ding-dong-ditched their teacher's door.

Their laughter stopped the moment they were inside the room, finally alone and nothing to stop them from giving into all the lusty urges they'd suppressed all day. They didn't waste any more time.

Later, wrapped only in sheets, they lay together on the lounger on the balcony. The party was long over, and the only sounds were the waves gently breaking against the shore. Gale was peppering kisses along her bare shoulder and wondering if he had it in him to go one more time when she started to laugh. "What?"

"I was just thinking of last night; your face when you walked out on the balcony and figured out we'd all been having fake sex. It was pretty hilarious."

Gale laughed too. It had been a pretty crazy night. At the time he'd been feeling so sorry for Katniss but now that it had worked out for everybody, he could laugh about it.

He glanced down along the line of balconies to Katniss and Peeta's. "Do you think we should tell them we're..." Damn, what was the word for what they were? "Uh, seeing each other."

Madge frowned. "It's a little early, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "Probably. But it might help them. I know that Peeta still has issues with me, and Katniss is insecure about you. If we tell them we're into each other, they'll realize they have nothing to be jealous about."

Madge twisted in his arms so that she was straddling his legs and facing him. She cupped his face gently and leaned in to kiss him. It was sweeter and softer than any of her kisses so far, and it surprised Gale.

"I'm really glad you're not the asshole I thought you were going to be," she told him with a smile.

Gale laughed. "I'm really glad you're not a fifty-year-old librarian."

Madge narrowed her eyes in confusion before laughing and kissing him again. "I don't think we should make an official announcement. But I guess I could casually mention to Katniss that I think you're really hot and I want to jump on that, and you could tell Peeta you're going to ask me out."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. He slid his arms up and down her sides and pulled her in for more kissing.

Madge pulled back and lifted her hair from her neck. "I'm so sweaty, it's gross. Fancy a swim?"

Gale actually thought the way her skin gleamed in the moonlight was pretty fucking hot; but it was a very warm night and after their amorous activities earlier he felt a little sweaty and gross too. Plus, he wasn't going to say no to skinny dipping with Madge Undersee, ever.

So they pulled on their swimsuits and shimmied down into the sand. After quickly ascertaining that the beach was empty, the raced to the water's edge, peeled off their clothes and dived into the water. The swam around and splashed each other for a while before ending up wrapped in each other's arms, with Madge's legs around his hips.

"Hello, Sir," Madge exclaimed when she felt him growing hard against her. She ground against him and grinned at the sounds emanating from him. "Do you have a condom?"

"In my shorts," he panted. He had come prepared just in case; but truthfully he was a little surprised, and impressed, that he was hard again. "This might not be my best work."

Madge laughed as he carried her back to the beach and dropped down where they'd discarded their clothes. He pulled a condom from his pocket and Madge rolled it on him before straddling him and riding him energetically. When she threw her head back and released a long keening moan to signal her orgasm, Gale rolled them over so he was on top and drove into her until he came. As predicted it lacked his usual finesse, but it got the job done for both of them.

They flopped onto the wet sand, panting for breath. Gale shifted uncomfortably. "I have sand everywhere. I've just been anally probed by a beach."

"Tell me about it, I might actually be pregnant with a sand baby," Madge giggled.

A small wave washed over them, cold against their heated skin. Madge squealed. Gale struggled to his feet and helped Madge up. They gathered their things as best they could in the moonlight, but Madge couldn't find her bikini top. They hunted around for it, but couldn't see it in the darkness.

"It probably got carried away by the waves," she sighed. "Shit. Oh well, there's nobody around to see me."

"Except me," Gale leered.

Madge punched his arm and made him walk in front of her. At the hotel, Gale diverted off the path to throw the used condom and wrapper in the trash, when Madge tapped his shoulder.

"There's showers over there, I need to rinse off."

They ducked into one of the wooden stalls and turned on the shower, gasping as the ice cold water hit them. They rubbed each other vigorously to remove the sand that really was everywhere. Gale had to pull down his shorts to get it all out of his ass crack.

"That is so hot," Madge laughed. "Take me now, I must have you."

"I would if I could, but I think it might actually be in a coma," Gale sighed, looking down at his dick.

Madge giggled and pressed herself against him. He leaned down to kiss her, and pushed her against the stall wall. His hands moved over her body, just enjoying the feel of her skin against his.

"Oh my god!"

Gale winced before turning his head to find Katniss and Peeta staring at them. Katniss look horrified, Peeta looked surprised. Madge gave a scream and ducked behind Gale. He hastily pulled up his shorts. "Hey, what's up?"

Peeta snorted. "Uh, we were just going for a walk when we heard the shower and we thought maybe somebody had left it running. Sorry to disturb you."

"That's OK, we were just finishing up," Gale told him. "Enjoy your walk."

"Will do," Peeta said with a nod. "Enjoy your..."

"Hey, Peeta I'm going to ask Madge out," Gale blurted. Not exactly as they'd rehearsed. Madge poked his side.

Peeta smiled. "That's great. Really great."

There was another moment of awkwardness before Katniss tugged on Peeta's arm and her boyfriend realized it was time to move along. He saluted them before they disappeared into the darkness.

"Goodnight, Catnip," Gale called into the night.

"Goodnight, Gale," she called back.

Gale and Madge waited a minute more to make sure that Katniss and Peeta would be out of sight before they left the shower and hurried back to the hotel. Gale clambered up onto the balcony and helped Madge up. They toweled off before climbing into bed.

Madge fell asleep curled up against him. He kissed her forehead before following her into slumber. The weekend might not have gone the way he intended, but he had no complaints.


End file.
